Under Secretary McKinney To Lead USDA Trade Mission To India
As per the information from US department of agriculture (USDA), the USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney will lead an agribusiness trade mission to India for a long five-day visit from 30th of Oct.to 3rd of Nov. McKinney will be making his first international trip as Under Secretary. He will head a delegation of approximately 50 business, trade association and state government leaders who are seeking to increase US agricultural exports to the world’s second-most-populous country.
“U.S. agricultural exports to India have grown nearly 250 per cent over the past decade, but the country’s barriers impede exports of many of our products,” McKinney said. “On this trip, I look forward to not only promoting U.S. farm and food products but also to meeting my Indian government counterparts to build relationships and address key trade policy issues in an effort to improve American access to this important market.”
Mission participants will travel to New Delhi and Mumbai, connecting with potential customers and learning first-hand about local market conditions. In-country staff from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service will arrange meetings between the U.S. delegates and more than 150 Indian companies, as well as with importers from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka who will travel to India for the mission. Participants will also meet with government and industry officials and visit local processing facilities and retail outlets.
Mission participants include Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson and North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, as well as representatives from the following companies and organizations are-
Almond Board of California, Modesto, California; America’s Best Genetics, West Lafayette, Ind.; American Embryo Transfer Association, Champaign, Ill; American Seed Trade Association, Alexandria, Virginia; Growth Energy, Washington, D.C.; Hudson Exports, Inc., Edison, N.J; Reliance Agro, Missouri, Texas; Renewable Fuels Association, Washington, D.C; The Redwood Group, Mission, Kansas; U.S. Grains Council, Washington, D.C.; U.S. Livestock Genetics Export, Inc., Mount Horeb, Wisconsin; U.S. Soybean Export Council, Chesterfield, Montana.
U.S. agricultural exports to India totalled nearly USD 1.3 billion in 2016, with tree nuts, cotton, pulses, fresh and processed fruits, and prepared foods accounting for more than 80 percent of those exports. India is also a major market for U.S. ethanol exports. The United States is India’s top ethanol supplier, with sales totalling nearly USD 176 million in 2016.
McKinney will be making his first international trip as Under Secretary. He will head a delegation of approximately 50 business, trade association and state government leaders who are seeking to increase US agricultural exports to the world’s second-most-populous country.
